


Family

by aDarkerKnight



Category: DCU - Comicverse
Genre: Family, M/M, Slice of Life
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2008-04-14
Updated: 2008-04-14
Packaged: 2017-10-21 23:23:30
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,002
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/231014
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/aDarkerKnight/pseuds/aDarkerKnight
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Not being able to have kids together doesn't have to mean you can't still have a family...</p>
            </blockquote>





	Family

I open my eyes when I feel him climbing into bed. I squint against the ray of sunlight that's coming in through the drapes.

"How early is it?" I ask groggily.

"It's a little past six," he says in a sigh. He sounds exhausted. "I didn't mean to wake you."

"It's all right. I haven't been in bed very long."

"Figures."

I can't see it, but I just know there was an eye roll with that. And a smile. He's perfectly aware of the fact that I never sleep very well unless he's there - I think he secretly enjoys that.

Can I help it if I worry when he disappears in the middle of the afternoon and doesn't come back until the next morning? All that power he wields makes him forget how vulnerable he can be, sometimes. If some nutcase ever got hold of that piece of Kryptonite that's still out there somewhere...

"I missed you last night," I say as I turn around to face him.

"There was--"

"An earthquake in China," I interrupt, finishing his sentence. "I know," I tell him softly and I stroke his arm affectionately. "There's no need to apologize for these things. Not to me."

He smiles warmly in that unique way he has; the way that melts my heart every single time. "I'm sorry I wasn't around for dinner," he says after a moment. Taking my hand in his, he brings it up to his lips and brushes a quick kiss on my fingers. "What was it you wanted to talk to me about?"

In a way, I'm almost grateful for the extra time his latest rescue has brought me... I foolishly told him that there was something I wanted to discuss with him, but damned if I was ready for that conversation last night. Not that I'm any more ready now, honestly, but I've at least had more time to think about it. More time to convince myself that this is a good idea, and that I want to do this for myself as much as I want to do it for him.

I take a deep breath. "Family," I admit hesitantly, after a moment's reflection. He frowns at me suspiciously, and for a second I almost expect him to ask whose family I mean. He says nothing, however, so I go on. "I was thinking... that kid from last week, the one you were watching over--"

"The one whose parents were murdered?" he cuts in, still frowning.

"Yeah." I swallow hard. He's going to think I've completely lost my mind! "You two seemed to hit it off pretty well, and so I was thinking... What if... What if he came to stay here?"

"You mean, while the trial is going on?"

I guess he's really exhausted, because his brain normally works at super speed and he usually gets me before I really need to explain things out loud.

"No, I mean... for good." I raise an eyebrow, willing Clark to understand what I'm trying to say since I seem to be failing miserably at explaining it so far. "He's eight years-old. He'll end up in a foster home once the trial is over, and he'll likely move from one to the next until he's an adult. Babies stand a good chance of being adopted, but eight-year-olds...not so much. And I know a foster home isn't always such a bad place, but... you know as well as I do that a lot of these kids turn out, well, not so good. Whereas if he stayed _here_ , he might stand a better chance - have a better life. We- we could give him a _real_ home."

Clark's expression changes from puzzlement, to amazement and he blinks at me a couple of times. "You're serious? You've actually thought it through?"

"Yes." I try to sound sure of myself, but I'm still a little nervous about this whole idea. "I mean, like I said, you seemed to hit it off and... Look, I know you've always wanted a family..." I sigh, knowing that this is the only way to make that particular dream come true for him. "I'm sure this isn't exactly the way you envisioned it, but since we can't make it happen otherwise..."

"I thought you were afraid of children?"

I let out a nervous laugh. "Of course I am."

"But you want to do this anyway?" he asks, his eyebrows reaching right up to his hairline. A sparkle lights up his dark brown eyes as I nod to him. "You really want this, don't you? You think we can do this?"

"Of course we can. With you, _everything_ becomes possible. You're Superman, for god's sake."

"I- I don't know what to say."

"Say yes, Clark," I encourage him. Any doubts I had about wanting this before are all gone now. I want it just as badly as I'm sure he does. "Say yes. We could be a family - we could _have_ a family. Together."

"A family," he echoes in a whisper, like it's something magical. "Together."

"I can't think of anyone who'd make a better father than you would. And, really, who better to understand an orphan than--" There's a smirk on his face that I don't much like. I can tell that the next words out of his mouth are probably going to make me cringe. "What?"

"That would make you his _mother_ ," he says, a teasing smile on his lips.

"You're such a lunkhead!" I protest, trying to sound offended, but no doubt failing. "I'd be... I don't know... his rich uncle?"

"Oh, right," he says, rolling his eyes. "The rich uncle who's screwing his dad?" He starts laughing, but stops long enough to add something more. "You know, come to think of it, I kind of like how that sounds - it makes you look unusually _naughty_ , Bruce."

I hope he realizes just how lucky he is to have an invulnerability aura to protect that smart mouth of his!

  
_\- the end -_   


**Author's Note:**

> I posted this on a message board _somewhere_ under a different username* (my "usual one" at the time) as an April Fools' prank - since the narrator isn't named until the very end, the readers there all assumed it was Lois and were shocked to find that this was actually... *gasp* a slashfic! (hehehe!)
> 
> Considering this is actually a rather sweet little story, I've decided to post it here for you guys to enjoy. :)
> 
> (* just saying, in case you came across it over there. I didn't steal the story from her, I _am_ her. I can prove it, too.)


End file.
